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Sep

22

Government Loses Hundreds of Laptops

September 22, 2006 |

Great Government Goofs: Over 350 Loopy Laws, Hilarious Screw-Ups and Acts-Idents of CongressThere was a day when the Census Bureau simply did its constitutionally mandated job: counted the number of people in the U.S. But that went out the window with the shift from a liberty based consensual republic to something completely different: a pseudo nanny state run as a collectivist democracy. To hell with the founding fathers’ warnings about the perils of democracy — the people know best, including whose rights and wallets are worth raiding, and to whom those collectivized resources will be dolled out.

To justify all that collectivizing and socialization — well, you need lots of statistics to support it all. Enter one of the chief organizations: The Census Bureau.

Well, like most things government…

  • when you don’t have to pay for things with your own money;
  • when being profitable is a meaningless concept;
  • when your “clients” don’t have a choice but to pay for your services via taxes;
  • and thanks to iron clad f

ederal union contracts that prevent firing of employees for lousy performance that would send most private sector employees out on the streets looking for a new job,

…well, let’s just say the standards are just a bit lower.

And, so, I doubt anyone would be surprised that a recent study by the Commerce Department revealed that since 2001 the department’s 15 operating units had “lost track” of 1,137 laptop computers. Most, 672, belonged to the Census Bureau, which since 2003 lost 217 laptops, 46 portable data storage devices and 15 handheld devices, many containing sensitive private data. Second only to the Census Bureau in missing laptops at the Commerce Department was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It reported 325 missing computers.

“This review process has clearly pointed out the flaws in the department’s inventory and accountability efforts going back many years,” Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez said.

Typical government reaction — closing the barn door long after the animals are gone misssing. And we wonder why the debt in the U.S. is now at 8.5 billion, and a deficit running about $3.5 trillion each year.

Continues Gutierrez, “We are viewing this process with the spirit of actively rooting out the problems and addressing them immediately.” Don’t hold yoru breath for any accountability, or a report of how many devices are sitting in employees homes.

How can I say that, you ask? Think back a few years to how many government employees were using Uncle Sam Credit Cards for their own personal use:

“From 1994 to 2003, the GAO said the use of government purchase cards increased from $1 billion to $16 billion. In most instances, bills are paid directly by the government.

GAO audits of purchase cards found ineffective management, lack of oversight, and weak internal controls at the departments of Agriculture, Army, Navy, Air Force, Interior, Justice, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs.

In one case, the Defense Department’s inspector general found a Navy employee used a government card to buy two cars, surgical enhancements, and a motorbike. The cardholder made 59 improper purchases worth more than $132,000.“

Hell… $132,000? What’s the big deal about $1100 laptop?
This is what we vote for? Give the people what they want — and good and hard, I say.


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